Campaign signs crowd around the Waterbury town sign on Main Street Sunday. Gov. Peter Shumlin asked Vermonters to pick up all such signs in preparation for Hurricane Sandy. / RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS

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Jack Lindley, chairman of the Vermont Republican Party, said he went out to his Montpelier yard and fetched his Romney, Brock and Wilton lawn signs Sunday evening.

On this, at least, there is bipartisan agreement.

Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin at a news conference Sunday had urged all political candidates to have their supporters take in their signs as Hurricane Sandy bears down on Vermont. He said he would be making sure his were.

Wind gusts up to 80 mph in some parts of the state (more like 55 mph in the Burlington area) could turn flimsy campaign signs into hazardous projectiles. Taking them all down in the face of the looming storm is no small task: Dozens of signs in support of three Burlington ballot measures were erected in recent days all over the city.

State Sen. Joe Benning, R-Caledonia, put a message on Facebook on Saturday urging all candidates to bring their signs in. The storm could turn the signs into litter, he said.

"I'd urge everyone, whether you support me or my opponents, to please take down the signs during this event. We don't want to have these sheets of plastic end up spread across the landscape or in our rivers. Let's take a proactive stand for the environment,” Benning wrote.

Lindley said candidates and their supporters have another reason to bring the signs in. Those signs will be needed more than ever in the last few days before the Nov. 6 election, he said.

“Signs are expensive,” Lindley said. “You don’t want to lose them.”

Benning said he contacted Sen. Philip Baruth, a Chittenden County Democrat, and Sen. Anthony Pollina, a Washington County Progressive, urging them to spread the word with their parties.

Baruth said Sunday he was waiting to see how bad the storm would get and would head out Monday to take down signs if necessary. “If it looks like tomorrow things are really getting crazy, I will at that point start driving around,” Baruth said.

The Vermont Democratic Party sent out an email Sunday to candidates urging them to pass the word to their supporters to haul signs inside, party spokeswoman Ariel Wengroff said Sunday evening.

“The party is encouraging all candidates to tell supporters to please remove all lawn signs until Sandy passes,” Wengroff said.

Lindley said the Republican Party hadn’t yet put the word out to candidates and supporters Sunday night, but probably would Monday. Sandy is expected to bring its highest winds to Vermont starting Monday afternoon.

Lindley noted that Shumlin, who faces Republican Randy Brock in his bid for re-election, doesn’t have all that many lawn signs.